Disclaimer: cqofegypt owns nothing except the plot! No ownership of Goodbye May Seem Forever
A Fallen Rose
As Rumpelstiltskin trudged through the marshlands while he looked for his daughter Ruby, his thoughts were idle until his mind wandered to the day Regina visited him at the Dark Castle.
He hadn't suspected what she was there for, indeed he had let his guard down, due to his depression that Belle had actually left.
He had wanted to send for her, or even gain the courage to go after her, but he was a coward, and nevertheless, something stopped him from doing just that.
Rumpelstiltskin tried to remember when it all went wrong... so terribly, terribly wrong...
We met it seems such a short time ago
Such a very short time it was since he had met Belle, and yet, how long had it truly been?
He knew- He would always know- from the moment Regina told him Belle had fallen off of the tower of her father's castle and died, time had stopped.
Thirteen years, and two weeks to be exact, when he had looked into those pleading blue eyes...
You looked at me needing me so
She had been desperate to flee- to escape Gaston- his tyranny and dominance over her as a living, breathing woman.
And what a woman she had turned out to be!
Rumpel took a sharp breath as he thought of Belle, how breathtaking she was- and despite Regina's insinuations, nothing untoward had happened between master and maid, save a simple kiss.
Rumpelstiltskin chuckled as he thought about Gaston- he'd turned that fool from something ugly and daunting, to something Belle could treasure.
Yet from your sadness- our happiness grew
Once she had overcome the loss of her home, family and friends, Belle had brown accustomed to Rumpelstiltskin and his quirky ways as she learned to live in the Dark Castle.
And I found out, I needed you too!
The spinner turned imp had fallen hard, despite the dark voice telling him not to, especially after catching her from falling to her death on that cursed ladder. He'd found he needed her desperately, before, during, and after Ruby's stay...
With him she was home- and so when Regina had told him Belle had been shunned by Maurice, he'd jumped at the chance to bring her home, though fearful that she may not want to return...
Rumpel shook his head, not wanting to think about learning of Belle's death from Regina... he geared his mind toward happier times...
I remember how we used to play
Though not Belle's by birth, Ruby had been Belle's 'little girl' from the moment Belle set eyes on the tiny bundle in Rumpelstiltskin's arms.
He'd beamed inwardly that night, proud of himself for making her so happy.
Ruby filled both of their lives with joy, happiness, and something Rumpel hadn't felt in a long time- hope.
I recall those rainy days
Those days after Ruby 'left', Belle was never the same.
The light had gone out of her eyes for a while, replaced, or igniting, he realized now, her love for him.
The fire's glow that kept us warm
Mmm- despite his heavy heart, he could still feel the burn of her lips on his- he remembered that day as if it were yesterday...
r/b/r/b/r/b
When he sent Belle away to town, following Ruby's disappearance, he truly hadn't expected to see her again.
He had gone up to his workroom, watching the road after she left, and nearly two hours after she had gone, he made out her figure in the fog in the distance.
Ecstatic, he continued watching, trying not to jump up and down as she came through the gate down the path to the doors.
Rumpelstiltskin realized he had to beat her downstairs, make it seem as if he hadn't been watching her the whole time... keep his cool.
That was actually hard to do, considering he hadn't been at his spinning wheel since dawn this morning. He wasn't sure where he'd left off...
"Oh, you're back!" he said, his voice a tad higher than he meant it to be, considering he was still trying to catch his breath. "Good thing... I'm nearly out of straw"
Belle, hearing the irregular breathing of her master, scoffed. "Hmph"
He'd lost his breath before while playing with Ruby. Briefly she wondered why he would have been running, but quickly dismissed it.
"Oh, come on... you're happy that I'm back" she grinned, putting down her basket, and boldly approaching him at the spinning wheel.
He looked at her nervously, wondering how she just boldly spoke her mind, about her feelings.
He realized, he'd always wanted to do that, ever since he caught her from the ladder, before Ruby came.
Ruby had opened his eyes to Belle as a woman, as a mother figure... Rumpel caught himself blushing again.
He wondered yet again, if it would be possible to have a life, to start over again with this darling, beautiful, exquisite girl.
"I'm not unhappy" he smiled, willing himself to be serious and not to giggle at a time like this.
Belle's heart was not to be trifled with.
"Before I left" said Belle, as she took the strand that Rumpel was currently working on and placed it to the side, giving her his full attention.
"You promised me a story" Belle walked around him, placing her hands on his shoulders.
"Did I?" he asked, feeling her every move, attracted to her as a bee to honey.
"Mm hmm" Belle smiled as she sat down next to him her hand on his knee.
"Tell me about your son" she pleaded.
Rumpel, wanting to do as she asked, wasn't sure where to start. "Well I had a son- I lost him. Nothing more to tell, really"
Belle looked at him, studying him closely.
"And since then, you've loved no one- and no one has loved you...?"
Rumpelstiltskin was a tad confused, as he felt his insides jump with joy. What on earth was she saying?
"Why did you come back?" he asked, studying her just as closely ass she was studying him.
Don't fall for it you fool, it's a trick! The dark voice hissed.
"I wasn't going to" Belle answered honestly, she had truly considered hopping the next boat to Avonlea, but she had gave the imp her word long ago, she would never leave.
Looking into his eyes now, she swore she never would leave him. Ever since Ruby came and left, he'd been a changed man.
Perhaps she could persuade him that they did love each other.
Would it really only take the magic of True Love's Kiss?
Oh my Lord, she's going to kiss me! the imp thought as he leaned in to the curve of her lips, and kissed her back...
Though he'd leaned in, he had returned her kiss full fold- her kiss had warmed him through to the point where he got disoriented, not knowing up from down.
To 'protect himself', the voice had interrogated her, demanding to know just what she had done.
She had told him 'True loves kiss can break any curse' Only one person knew that...
The Dark One, furious at his loss of power, if only for a moment, went to the mirror and started screaming at Regina.
"You Evil Soul!" he'd hissed. "This was you! You turned her against me! You think you can make me weak?! You think you can defeat me?!"
Belle was beyond confused. Why was her master yelling at the mirror?
"Who are you talking to?" she asked.
"The Queen!" the Dark One giggled. "Your friend, the Queen"
Rumpel still felt rage boil inside him as he thought about it. He had known by the look on Belle's face, Regina had deceived her.
Despite himself he could not allow his mind to think rationally, not with "Demetrius" worried about his precious power!
"It means it's true love!" Belle cried, trying to reason with some part of Rumpelstiltskin. If he hadn't felt anything at all for her, wouldn't the kiss not have worked at all?
"Shut up!" The Dark One screamed. "Shut the hell up!"
"Why won't you believe me?!" Belle cried.
"Because no one could ever EVER love me!"
The knife had glowed, and Rumpel hadn't felt his hand at it struck Belle's cheek.
Somehow the kiss had granted just enough magic to separate the Spinner from the voice, now calling itself Demetrius.
They were now two-in-one.
Demetrius had just slapped Belle and had shoved her into the dungeon after shaking her.
Oh HECK No!
Rumpelstiltskin went ballistic
Somehow he'd picked up a poker and started thrashing at the doors of the china cupboard, breaking the glass into smithereens.
On the dining hall table lay their tea set- one by one, he took the cups and dishes and started smashing them against the nearest pillar.
He'd picked up Belle's chipped teacup he treasured so dearly and just managed to glance at it.
NO! not that cup- it's our cup- not that cup...
With all the strength he possessed, he managed to put it down and compose himself.
Once he did so, he went to see Belle. That hadn't gone well at all...
"So, what are you going to do to me?" Belle asked, wondering if the man she loved would show his true colors at any moment now.
The truth was, Rumpelstiltskin was still a coward.
"Go" he hissed.
Belle stood up in disbelief. "Go?" she asked.
After all of this time, all of the years in his service, taking care of his daughter, he was letting her go, just like that?
Rumpelstiltskin swallowed the bile in his throat as he prepared to break her heart beyond repair.
Hadn't he sworn, just the night before that her heart was not to be trifled with?
"I don't want you anymore" he lied.
Too angry to speak, Belle walked out of the cell, prepared to walk out of the Dark Castle with just the clothes on her back.
Deciding she had yet to speak her mind, she walked back to him.
He was surprised, having expected her to run free, and him feel even more miserable than he had when Bae left him.
"You were freeing yourself!" she hissed. "You could have had freedom if you just believed that someone could want you!"
"That's a lie" he whispered again. "It's quite simple really, my power means more to me than you"
Belle shook her head.
"No, it doesn't. You power means nothing to you, compared to me, compared to Ru-" she took a deep breath, the spinner in the man wanting to reach out, but didn't.
"compared to Ruby" she whispered, glaring at him through her tears.
"If you let me walk out that door, you're a coward, Rumpelstiltskin. No matter how thick you make your skin, that doesn't change."
"If I walk out that door..." she groaned. "All you'll have is an empty heart... and a chipped cup"
His image was blurred in hers now, as she walked away.
As she walked away, Rumpelstiltskin closed his eyes, and breathed a deep breath full of roses and vanilla for the last time...
A tear coursing down his cheek, he feared that in this lifetime, he would never see her again...
r/b/r/b/r/b
As he continued to search for Ruby, Rumpelstiltskin wept tears of pain and grief all over again.
If only Belle knew I did it to protect her...
Had he had his way, she would have never left his arms, her lips having never left his own... save to utter the two words he longed to hear from her most...
I do...
And now I find- we're both alone
Rumpelstiltskin wasn't sure how Regina played into all of that, but he had been sure she'd been lying when she told him Belle was dead.
"I've a deal to discuss" she said, pouring herself a cup of tea in his metal tea set.
"A certain...mermaid" she grinned.
"I'm not dealing today" the imp murmured, depressed over Belle's departure.
"Oh, is this about that girl I met on the road? Hm?" she patronized him.
His ears flicked. What did she mean, met on the road? They were not supposed to meet on the road to town, the highway didn't dissect by way of the King's Road...
Unless...
"What was her name?" Regina asked. "Margie? Verna?"
"Belle" he whispered, absentmindedly spinning his wheel.
He no longer spun to forget, but to remember...
"Right" Regina nearly growled with jealousy.
"Well... rest assured I had nothing to do with that tradgedy"
Rumpelstiltskin's ears flicked again. What tragedy? He thought. The voice was suspiciously silent.
"What... tragedy?" he asked, as calmly as he could.
"You don't know?" Regina gasped, reveling in the news.
"Well, after she got home, her fiance had gone missing"
Rumpelstiltskin looked at the vase on the table. Not quite missing...
"And after her... association with you..." There was no need to continue on with the implication.
The imp felt his face heat, though there was nothing more to their friendship than a loving kiss...
Surely no one would think...
"No one would want her of course" Regina confirmed his fears...
"Her father shunned her. Cut her off, shut her out..." Regina took victory in her tale before Rumpelstiltskin ruined it for her.
"So... she needs... a h-home?" he asked, desperately hoping he could still bring Belle back, and be forgiven...
"He was cruel to her" she grinned wickedly.
"He locked her in a tower and sent in clerics to cleanse her soul with scourgess and flang..."
"Finally she just through herself off the tower" Regina waited to see what effect her tale would have on her former teacher.
Her mission was complete. He was broken...
He shook his head at the realization, the horrific reality of what happened.
His darling, sweet, beautiful Belle surely could not be...
"She died."
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO he screamed, his heart threatening to burst out of his chest by no aid of his own.
"You're lying" the spinner hissed.
Is she? Demetrius had asked.
"Am I?" Regina asked.
I don't know, but something's wrong here! Come hell or high waters, Dark One, I will find out what you've done! The spinner spat.
We Shall See
But Rumpelstiltskin was too grief stricken to notice Demetrius' threat.
"We're done" he hissed at Regina, keeping his emotions in check just a little longer.
"Fine" Regina huffed, annoyed she couldn't bait her teacher any longer. "I have other calls to make"
She followed him to the door, running her finger against the polished dining hall table.
"Place is looking dusty Rumpel" she smirked.
Then adding insinuation to injury, "You should get a new girl" she purred, her laughter reverberating off of the walls as she exited the halls of the Dark One's home.
Feeling the same fury in his veins he had felt for Demetrius when the fiend had harmed Belle, Rumpelstiltskin took out his sword and started thwacking at the grass.
Curse Regina! Curse Demetrius! Curse the blasted knife! Curse the bloody curse!
Sinking to his knees, the imp poured out the tears he had not shed, soaking the earth as if he lay across Belle's grave.
Oh, Belle! What have I done to you? He wept bitterly.
Goodbye may seem forever
Farewell is like the end
But in my heart's a memory
And there you'll always be
Looking up at a noise in the distance, Rumpelstiltskin spotted Ruby in the distance and scratched his head after wiping his eyes on his sleeves.
Ruby's memories would have to be restored.
It was no longer fair to her to keep her in the dark, especially about her beloved surrogate mother. How was he to tell her? What would he say?
With tears in his eyes, the imp trudged forward to face his daughter.
You'll always be in my heart- until tomorrow my fallen Rose...
Goodbye may seem forever
Farewell is like the end
But in my heart's a memory
And there you'll always be
But not was all as it seemed...
Storybrooke, Maine- Thirty-two years later
Roger Bracings walked back to the Bed and Breakfast he was staying at with his granddaughter, Juniper Cricket by way of Storybrooke Sanitarium.
As he passed the Sanitarium itself, he felt the familiar tingling of magic in his fingers, changing his skin from scaly golden green, to flesh pink.
That was impossible! There was no magic in this land!
Roger tried to think hard, how his skin could change from scaled to flesh without magic- and then remembered.
True Love.
Whomever was in the sanitarium, had the power to change his physical shell with the power of a simple kiss...
Whom on earth could it be?
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